Mission to Mars! Engaging young people in STEM

In October students spent the day with us and Setpoint London East learning about robotics and building their own. In a day that put their problem solving and technical skills to the test, students learnt about robotics and engineering theory before building their own walking robots. They then carried out tests and eventually raced their designs against each other.

“I hope we do more things like this again, I enjoyed every second of it - I hope we do more of this in the future.  Meeting people was great too, there are people I want to meet again.”  - year 11 GG student

Later in the day a team quiz challenged students scientific and general knowledge, with our very own Quiz Master, Sasha. How would you do?

• How many chemical elements can be detected in the composition of the human body?
• How much of our DNA is the same as that of a banana?
• In a cell, what is the main role of mitochondria?

Also this autumn term we organised a networking event, which brought together 26 students and 9 STEM Ambassadors from various industries, in a session aimed at providing real insights into careers which require STEM skills. Generating Genius students met with STEM Ambassadors from a range of industries, including civil, aerospace and geotechnical design engineers, patent attorneys and lab researchers.

The evening began with a brief introduction to networking, helping students prepare to meet the STEM Ambassadors. This was followed by 4 speed networking sessions in small groups and then informal networking, which many students enjoyed, as it offered them the chance to talk with ambassadors on a one-to-one basis.

For many of the students, it was a new, but very enriching experience. In addition to information about potential careers, discussions also covered the process of getting into a certain industry or job, a topic that many students found extremely interesting and engaging.

“I liked talking to successful people and seeing what paths people have taken to become successful.” - Antonio, year 10 GG student

“I think the format worked really well and gave the students an opportunity to hear from lots of different ambassadors. I thought all of the students were really engaged and interested, and had some really great questions for me. It would definitely be an event I would be happy to help at again.” - Emma, a Research Technician in Surgical Science

If you would like to read more about the networking event visit our website HERE.

Links:

• Read more about our first student networking event

Over the summer we have organised several events that give students the opportunity to see STEM in action. 

Students in year 10 form across several London schools attended a workshop in which they took part in different activities that simulated a real Mars expedition. From finding ways to make a safe landing, to generating power to understanding how to match (fake!) blood types to give a life saving transfusion, students really are ready for life on Mars!

This summer we also enjoyed working with the University of Oxford, in particular the Department of Pharmacology, The Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Brasenose College to arrange insight days for some of our students in years 11 and 12.

Year 12 participants gained an insight into the research facilities and projects of students of Oxford’s  Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour. In particular the behaviour of fruit flies – which despite their small size can teach us a lot about the workings of the brain! They even got to help out with some of the experiments, learning about technical methods and equipment. As well as gaining an insight into the academic side of life at university, we also visited Brasenose College and got a behind the scenes tour, tried out the canteen food, visited the on site library and spoke to current undergraduates about their experiences.

A cohort of our younger students visited the Medical Research Council Brain Netwoekd Dynamics Unit and took part in a range of discussions, debates and demonstrations. They even had the opportunity to use electro magnetic charges to stimulate the motor cortex in the brain and looked at the differing reation times of a twitching finger - from direct sitimulation, through to conscious thought. It was a great learning opportunity and really showed students the importance of scientific research in medical advancement. 

We have many more activities in the pipline for the new academic year, including coding and robotics workshops and a speed networking evening. 

“Being able to see a dendrite and a synapse, in the flesh, was amazing- now all the theory makes sense!” – Kim, Year 11

 “It was an incredible experience, it shows you an insight into the workings of a research lab. I’m definitely interested in a career in the medical field.” – Jack, Year 11

Links:

• Read more about what we have been up to over the summer.